Summit

Michael Starnes

Age: 42

Occupation:Educator

Number of Cruises: 9

Cruise Line: Celebrity

Ship: Summit

Sailing Date: June 1st, 2007

Itinerary: n/a

Celebrity Cruise Line
Summit Cruise Review
Alaska - Vancouver

Michael Starnes

I am a 43 year old who took the cruise with my parents
for two reasons. First, I wanted to introduce them to cruising and secondly, I
wanted to see Alaska. My purpose in writing this review is to help others
through my experience cruising. I have had the opportunity to cruise all the
major lines to destinations around the world and have found most cruises are
what you make of them.

The ship’s market focus: Each ship and its itinerary appeal to a certain
market. The market focus of this particular ship/itinerary was the 50-70 year
old age group. Everything from the entertainment to the level of service
catered to that group. If you do not enjoy the entertainment that 50-70
year-olds enjoy, then you will not enjoy the entertainment on this ship. The
Broadway-style shows were average but the acrobatics featuring Alex and Sally
were great. Most of the entertainment in the bars and lounges also catered to
the 50-70 year old age group. If this ship sailed with a Caribbean itinerary, I
think it would cater more to the 35-50 year old market.

Staterooms were what I would expect, being efficient with space but certainly
adequate. The ship provided bathrobes, hairdryer, Q-tips, cotton balls,
shampoo, soap, and conditioner. There were also plenty of towels and the cabin
service was outstanding. One could call between rooms by dialing the number of
the cabin you wished to contact. Room service could be ordered through
interactive TV or by phone and was excellent to average depending on how busy
they were. There were no laundry facilities or irons on board; however, the
ship offered dry cleaning and laundry service at a reasonable price.

Dining: I thought the food was outstanding. We chose not to dine in the
Normandie cover-charge restaurant because we did not think the food or service
could be $30 per person better than what we had in the main formal dining room.
The waiters in the main dining room really do attempt to make your experience
excellent in every way. The Waterfall Café is the buffet with basically the
same food every day but with the food changing during different times of the
day. For example, the homemade pasta and salad bar were open 12-5 in the
Waterfall. Sushi could be found there from 5:00-10:00. There were other food
stations open and there were set breakfast and lunch buffet times. There was
also healthy choice dining most of the day in the Aqua Spa Café. A
hamburger/hotdog station was available 12:00-6:00 and an ice cream station
12:00-10:00. The create-your-own pizza station was available 12:00-5:00.
During the breakfast and lunch buffet hours, options were plentiful, but the
options were basically the same each day. Anyone who complains about the food
and service on this ship makes me envious of the quality of food and service
they obviously get at home.

Health Club: The Celebrity Summit was no better or worse than most cruise lines
in this area. They did make you pay for some services and access areas standard
on other ships. A dedicated workout and/or health nut would not suffer on this
boat.

Alcohol: Celebrity Summit had the absolute most expensive drinks of any ship I
have ever been on. But in their defense, they have drink prices very much in
line with what is charged in Alaska. When a draft beer costs $5+ with tip then
you know Dorothy is not in Kansas anymore. After reading most of the reviews
and the Celebrity policy on bringing alcohol on board, my advice would be to
bring as much as you want on board at the departure port. The ports are in
charge of security that day and port security does not care the amount of
alcohol you bring to the ship. You merely carry the alcohol on in a bag. My
recommendation is to have each bottle in a brown paper bag and put the paper bag
bottles in another bag so it is not absolutely obvious what you are doing.
Celebrity scans your items after you embark, so there is the possibility
you could get caught after the first day. For those following Celebrity’s
alcohol policy, you can only bring two bottles of wine on board per stateroom
the day of departure and none after that.

The ship’s layout was fine once you got accustomed to what was where. I did
find the ship in excellent shape for its age and very clean. The hand sanitizer
entering all dining rooms was certainly a nice touch. It is easier to utilize
the elevators in the area where your room is located so you have a home base
elevator. There are three main elevator systems: one in front of the ship, one
in the rear, and one at mid-ship. I used the elevator closest to my room to
navigate the ship.

Shore Excursions: I book most excursions myself, finding I save 20-40% over
excursions booked through the ship. I have done this across the globe but found
Alaska the easiest because the ports are American ports and practically anyone
can book independently with little worry. This does take some advance planning
and I hope to make this planning easier for readers of this review with the
following suggestions in each port. A bonus to independent travel is you are
not on the ship’s tour schedule, allowing you to see more for less with
flexibility.

Pre-Cruise: We stayed five days in Anchorage using Anchorage as a home base to
see Alaska’s interior. We visited Denali National Park with a flight-seeing
tour. We also took the park service six-hour bus ride into the park. The one
thing I encourage each person to do is to purchase the Great Alaskan Tour Saver
coupon book. It is valuable if you are going to do a pre- or post- cruise
independent tour in or around Anchorage/Denali/Seward. The coupons are good all
over Alaska, but most are helpful in and around Anchorage, Denali, and Inside
Passage. The coupons are buy-one-get-one-free featuring BOGOF tours and hotel
reservations. Purchase the tour-saver at www.toursaver.com or call (907)
278-7600. We stayed at two different hotels in Anchorage where we paid for one
night and received the second night free. We also rented a car from the Avis
downtown location getting one day rental free while saving the airport car
rental fees. Our flight-seeing tour in Denali was buy-one-get-one-free.

Seward, Alaska: We rode the train from Anchorage to Seward. It was an
absolutely beautiful trip. We spent the night in Seward before boarding the
ship at 11:30am the next morning. If you choose to do this, book your hotel and
train trip early as many cruise ship passengers go this route. Seward is around
three hours from Anchorage. A rental car is not necessary in Seward. A cab or
shuttle can get you to most places of interest. My suggestions for excursions
while in Seward include the resurrection bay tour from Renown Tours and the
Sealife Center. Both have BOGO coupons in The Great Alaskan Tour-saver book.
We also took the shuttle to exit glacier. We boarded the ship early to become
familiar with the ship’s layout while few people were on board. Embarkation was
well organized.

Hubbard Glacier Cruising: My best advice while cruising the Hubbard Glacier and
the surrounding icy water is as follows:
1. View approaching the glacier in “The Night Club” at the front of the
ship Deck 11. Enjoy the majesty of the glacier while taking no pictures.
Arrive in “The Night Club” an hour before your closest point to the glacier for
best seating.
2. View the departure from the glacier at the Waterfall Café Bar on Deck 10
at the back of the ship. This is where you can take the best pictures without
fighting the crowds. The ship’s initial approach to the glacier is
characterized by passengers fighting to get the best position to photograph the
glacier. The departure from the glacier is characterized by very few people
taking pictures on Decks 10 and 11 where the best photo opportunities exist.

Juneau, Alaska: We rented a car in Juneau and my advice is to book early. Car
rental companies sell out when cruise ships are in port. We chose Rent-a-Wreck
[(907) 789-4111] because they were the only company that would pick up and drop
off at the dock. This is a good choice if you do not mind older cars. The
ladies at the agency were also very helpful in pointing out places of interest.
We visited the Mendenhall Glacier, the Alaskan Brewing Company, Glacier Gardens
Rainforest, and the Shrine of St. Therese, all outside the city of Juneau. The
price just for the Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Gardens tour through the
cruise ship was $61 per person. That would have cost us $183. Our total for
the rental car was $57.50 Admission to the Glacier Gardens Rainforest was $22
each, but we had BOGO coupons from the Great Alaskan Toursaver. We did much
more for our money by renting a car and using the Toursaver. The area around the
cruise dock is completely touristy featuring a tram, shops, and bars. I
recommend the Red Dog Saloon for its entertainment value and you can order a
Coke if you prefer not to drink.

Skagway: This was another car rental port for us. We went with Avis and booked
directly with the Skagway office at (907) 983-2247. Sourdough rentals is
another option if you do not mind older vehicles. Both companies are in the
tourist district near the cruise ship docks. Skagway is all about the Gold Rush
of 1896. The two major tours are the scenic White Pass Railway and the Skagway
Street Car Tour. The ship charges $112 per person for the 3.5 hour rail tour
and $42 per person for the two hour street car tour. A couple would shell out
$308 for the two excursions through the cruise ship. My advice would be to rent
a car and take Klondike Highway 2 into Canada. (You will need a passport/proof
of citizenship.) The Klondike Hwy follows the same route as the railroad but at
a substantially cheaper price. The bonus for car rental tours is that one can
stop to take pictures at their leisure. We took the road all the way to
Whitehorse. Most tourist turn around returning to Skagway in either Carcross or
the Emerald Lake. The Red Onion Saloon is a good place to visit a brothel
museum although the entertainment is not as lively as the Red Dog Saloon in
Juneau. The Red Onion is near the cruise ship dock. I also heard good things
about the Days of ’98 show that plays at 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, and 7:00pm.
The show plays at the Fraternal Order of The Eagle Hall located at 6th avenue
and Broadway near the cruise ship dock. One could take the two hour Skagway
Street Car Tour at the end of the day depending on when your ship departs.

Icy Strait Point: There is not much at Icy Strait Point but the visitor center
and the Zip Rider Zip Line experience. We toured the visitor center (about an
hour) and then caught the shuttle to the town of Hoonah. Hoonah was what I
believe to be a very authentic Alaskan fishing village. The town is walking
distance from the cruise ship dock. There is a path that follows the road into
the village. Sample the halibut pizza at the grocery store. Hoonah had very
friendly people and the highest concentration of bald eagles of any place we
visited. The shuttle was around $5 dollars per person for the round trip into
Hoonah.

Ketchikan: No rental car is needed in this port because most attractions are
located within walking distance. My recommendations are as follows: Visit the
Totem Heritage Center and Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery/Eagle Center. They are
located next to each other at the top end of town less than one mile from the
cruise ship dock. The last part is up hill so I suggest a cab/shuttle going
up. Walk and follow the creek back down through the Creek Street Boardwalk. It
is a beautiful walk and there is history, restaurants, and shops throughout
Creek Street. Both the Tribal Hatchery and Totem Heritage center open at 8:00am
in the summer. The Hatchery is informative and an extra special experience if
the salmon are in town. The Hatchery offers the most up-close bald eagle
experience you will get in Alaska. The Totem Pole Heritage Center is all about
history and heritage. You can buy a combination ticket to both and each offers
a guided tour. My other suggestion for Ketchikan is a Misty Fjords floatplane
tour with a lake landing in the fjords. You can save between $30-$70 by booking
yourself online instead of through the cruise ship. We went with Southeast
Aviation (www.southeastaviation.com), booking a month in advance. Other highly
recommended floatplane companies include www.promechair.com and
www.islandwings.com . Book early for best prices.

Disembarkation: Very easy in Vancouver. The airport shuttle was $12 per person
and I left immediately for my flight back to the East Coast. Vancouver is a
beautiful city if you have time to visit. I wish I could have stayed two nights
but needed to return home to earn money for my next cruise. I hope this helps.
Happy Travels!